The 18th International Planning History Society Conference - Yokohama, July 2018

Plan of Seoul Olympic games facilities and the execution of the plans of green
area and road network of Seoul City Planning
Kwanghyun Park
* PhD, Department of Architecture & Architectural Engineering, Kagoshima University,
park@aae.kagoshima-u.ac.jp

By analyzing the changes in planning for facilities for the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, focusing
especially on green areas and road networks, this study aims to reveal the transformation of Seoul City,
sparked by the Seoul Olympic Games. Most of the new competition venues for the Olympic games were
built in the green areas in the Jamsil District and the Taenung District. In particular, the Jamsil District
was able to support the development of two main Olympic venues by reclaiming land through the
revetment of the Han River. The river was the defining feature for Seoul City Planning’s Olympic
development plans, dictating the paths of the broad highways and bridges which follow and span its
waters.
Keywords: Seoul, Olympic, Competition Veunes, City Planning, Green Area, Road Network.

Introduction
This research clarifies the arrangement plan of the Seoul Olympic sports facilities and the development and
expansion of infrastructure related to the Olympic Games. It also considers the relation between the facilities,
infrastructure construction and Seoul City Planning.

The 24th Seoul Olympic Games (1988) was an international sports event showcased for the high economic growth
of the Republic of Korea since it had been established in 1948 1. It can also be said that through the Olympic Games,
the urban transformation of Seoul was done mainly in 1970s-1980s. For a large-scale international event like the
Olympic Games, the related facilities such as various competition venues, athletic villages, parks and the
transportation infrastructure are planned and completed according to Seoul City Planning. In some cases, the city
plans are changed due to the needs of the actual construction.

There are many discussions from social and economic standpoints on the economic effects and changes in citizen
consciousness brought about by the Seoul Olympic Games, however, there are few studies which analyze the
transportation infrastructure and large-scale athletic parks developed for the Olympics2. In addition, the correlation
between these and Seoul City Planning in the same period have not been sufficiently examined.

This paper, therefore, will clarify the transition of the arrangement plan for the Olympic Games facilities from the
time of the hosting application to the time the Games were held, and describes the relation between the location of
the competition venues and the green area of Seoul City Planning. Subsequently, I will review the transition of the
road networks of Seoul City Planning before and after the Olympic Games, focusing in particular on the
construction and expansion of roads and bridges directly related to the competition venues, and examine the
relation between these and the road networks of the Seoul Master Plan.

Background of the application for the hosting of the Olympic Games

The hosting of the 24th Olympic Games in Seoul was in part of a political bid to abate the public’s criticism against
the dictatorship of President Park Chung-Hee in the 1970s3. Seoul City announced that it would apply to host the
Games as a government initiative on Oct 8, 1979, but immediately after that, the hosting campaign met trouble
due to the assassination of President Park, who had made to final decision to bid to host the Olympic Games. In
the political turmoil caused by the President's death, the KOC (Korean Olympic Committee), which actively
promoted the bidding, and Seoul City, which was reluctant to bid due to the poor financial situation and lack of
facilities, came into conflict, and the hosting campaign was ceased temporarily. This impasse was broken by
President Chun Doo-Hwan who took office in September 1980. On his initiative4, The KOC conveyed the intention
to host the Olympic Games to the IOC, and then on Dec. 4, 1980, the IOC announced that Seoul, the capital city
of the Republic of Korea, would be the fourth city to apply for the right to host the Olympic Games after Melbourne,
Australia; Nagoya, Japan; and Athens, Greece. There were many hurdles at high-level government meetings for
The 18th International Planning History Society Conference - Yokohama, July 2018

the Olympic bid, even after the KOC and Seoul City submitted their response to the IOC questionnaire about the
hosting capacity on Feb. 26, 1981. This was due to the objection of Seoul City and the Economic Planning Board
on the grounds that the financial situation for the Olympic Games was insufficient. At the3rd meeting, however, it
was resolved to proactively promote the hosting campaign5. Then finally on Sep. 30, 1981, Seoul was chosen to
host the 24th Olympic Games from Sept. 17th to Oct. 2nd 1988, at the IOC General Assembly held in Baden-Baden,
Germany.

Change of the Olympic Games venues plan (Table 1)

The arrangement plan of the Seoul Olympic Games venues evolved from the time of application to host the Games
to the time when they were held. Here we compare the arrangement plans of the competition venues in 1981 and
1988 (Figure 1).

The competition venues at the time of the hosting application (Feb. 1981) were mainly located in the Jamsil District
on the south bank of the Han River, in the surroundings of the old town at the center of Seoul, and in the Taenung
District in the northeast part of the city. There were two main competition venues; the National Sports Complex
(newly constructed) and the Seoul Sports Complex (under construction) in the Jamsil District. The main stadium
(athletics, football), the archery field, the velodrome, the fencing hall, the gymnasium, the hockey pitches, and the
indoor swimming pool were planned for the National Sports Complex, and the student gymnasium (boxing), the
indoor gymnasium (handball, volleyball), the indoor swimming pool were planned for the Seoul Sports Complex.

Table 1 The change of Olympic Games competition venues (*outside of the boundry of Seoul City)
The 18th International Planning History Society Conference - Yokohama, July 2018

Figure 1 Comparision of the arrangement plan of the competition venues : plan at the time of application in
1981(left) and holding in 1988(right)

Four existing sports facilities in the vicinity of the old town were selected as competition venues: Hyochang
Stadium (football) and Sogang University Gymnasium (judo) were located in the southwest of the old town;
Changchung Gymnasium (basketball) and Seoul Municipal Stadium (football) were located in the east of the old
town. In northeast area of the city (Taenung District), Taenung Indoor Swimming Pool, Taenung International
Shooting Range, Taenung Country Club Running Course (cross-country) located in the Taenung Village; and Seo-
Ae-Kwan (wrestling) which was located in the Korea Military Academy, were selected as competition venues.

Comparing the venue placement plans at the time of application (Sep. 1988) with those at the time of the Games,
the two main competition venues located in the Jamsil District on the south bank of the Han River were used as
planned. In the National Sports Complex which was now known as “Olympic Park”, the construction of the main
stadium was discontinued, and the Olympic Velodrome, Olympic Fencing Gymnasium, Olympic Gymnastics Hall
(gymnastics, handball), Mongchontoseong Cross-country Course, Olympic Indoor Swimming Pool, Olympic
Tennis Courts and Olympic Weightlifting Gymnasium were newly planned and constructed. In the Seoul Sports
Complex, the main stadium (athletics, equestrian sports, football), Jamsil Student Gymnasium (former student
gymnasium : boxing), Jamsil Gymnasium (former indoor gymnasium: basketball, volleyball), and Jamsil Baseball
Stadium were built. Among the competition venues in the surroundings of the old town, only Changchung
Gymnasium (judo, taekwondo) and Dongdaemun Stadium (former Seoul Municipal Stadium : football) in the east,
were used as planned at the time of the application, and Hanyang University Gymnasium (volleyball) and Royal
Bowling Center along the Jungnang Stream were newly selected as venues. In the Taening District, Taenung
International Shooting Range was used as planned, and Hwarang Archery Field in the Korea Military Academy
was newly selected as a venue. In addition, Seoul National University Gymnasium (table tennis, badminton) and
Saemaul Sports Hall (volleyball) were newly selected as competition venues and could be accessed directly from
the Nambu Beltway which connect the Jamsil District to Gimpo Airport.
The 18th International Planning History Society Conference - Yokohama, July 2018

Figure 2 Positioning of the competition venues on the Green area : Seoul Sports Complex (top right), Olympic
Park (bottom right)

Positioning of the competition venues in the green area of the zoning of Seoul City
Planning
There is a significant relationship between the zoned green areas in the plans for Seoul, and the location of the
Olympic Park and the Seoul Sports Complex.

The green areas of the 1972 Seoul City Planning consisted of a ring shaped green area along the periphery of the
city, located in the surrounding mountains, and a linear green area along the Han River which traverses Seoul6,
but since 1978, green areas both in the mountains and along the river have been connected as a result of newly
designated green areas along the tributaries of the Han River7 (Figure 2).

Of the two main competition venues for the Olympic Games, the Olympic Park was constructed in a green area
along the Sungnae Stream, and the Seoul Sports Complex was constructed adjacent to the green area along the
Tan Stream. In this way, the green area along the tributaries of the Han River began to be developed as a park and
a sports complex. After the Olympic Games, the Mokdong Sports Complex (1989) and the Seoul World Cup Park
(2002) were constructed along two tributaries of the Han River; the Anyang Stream and the Hongje Stream. Also,
the banks of the Han River were developed as a public park in accordance with the ‘Comprehensive Development
Plan of the Han River (1982-1986)’ during the Olympic preparation period. The green area newly created by the
revetment of the Han River and its tributaries was utilized as a city park. It can be said that the waterfront of Seoul
began to develop in earnest with the Olympic Games.

Transition of the Road Network of Seoul City Planning and Related Roads of Olympic
Games
Comparing the road networks of Seoul City Planning at the closest time before the application to host the Olympic
Games (Dec. 1976) and after the Olympic Games (Feb. 1989), we can see that the roads were mainly constructed
around the old town, the Han River and its tributaries (Figure 3). Of these, I will look in detail at the Olympic Dae-
ro (‘Dae-ro’ means a highway in Korean), Noryang Bridge, Dongjak Bridge, Dongho Bridge, Dongho-ro (‘ro’
means a road in Korean), the Olympic Bridge, the Nambu Beltway, which were directly involved with transport
for the Olympic Games.

The Olympic Dae-ro was opened to traffic as a motor road in May 1986 (Figure 4). There was originally a road
(Gangnam-ro) along the southern bank of the Han River which had been constructed in accordance with
Notification No. 268 of Seoul Metropolitan Government (Nov. 26, 1972). This had several sections: Gangnam 1-
ro (from the east boundary of Seoul to Jamsil Bridge), Gangnam 2-ro (from the Jamsil Bridge to Hannam Bridge),
The 18th International Planning History Society Conference - Yokohama, July 2018

Figure 3 Comparing the road networks of Seoul City Planning in 1976 and 1989

Figure 4 Bridges of the Han River and Olympic Dae-ro

Gangnam 3-ro (from the Hannam Bridge to Hangang Bridge), Gangman 4-ro (from the Hangang Bridge to
Yanghwa Bridge), Gangnam 5-ro (from the Yanghwa Bridge to the west boundary of Seoul). In preparation for
the Olympic Games, these roads were repaired and expanded in three sections. In section 1 (from Cheonho Bridge
to Dongjak Bridge), there were the existing roads with 4 lanes: Gangnam 1-ro, Gangnam 2-ro and Gangnam 3-ro
(partly). These roads were widened into one two-way road with 8 lanes; 4 lanes being added to the river side. In
section 2 (from the Dongjak Bridge to Seongsan Bridge), because the expansion of the existing Gangnam-ro was
difficult due to topographical problems, a new two-way road with 4 lanes was constructed next to the riverside
parallel to the existing Gangnam 4-ro which was then excluded from the Olympic Dae-ro. In section 3 (from the
Seongsan Bridge to Haengju Bridge), a new embankment was extended along Gangnam 5-ro which had not been
yet fully constructed (only the section from the Yanghwa Bridge to the Seongsan Bridge was completed), then a
new two-way road with 6 lanes was opened along the entire route of the Gangnam 5-ro. This Olympic Dea-ro
which extends 36 kilometers between Haengju Bridge and Choenho Bridge, connected to existing trunk roads in
Seoul with 5 bridges and 11 overpasses, and Gimpo Airport and the Olympic Stadium were also directly connected.
The 18th International Planning History Society Conference - Yokohama, July 2018

Figure 5 Comparsion the topographic map of 1981 and 1987 around the Dongjak Bridge (right)

Figure 6 Comparsion the topographic map of 1981 and 1987 around the Dongho Bridge (top right), the Dongho-
ro (bottom right)

The Noryang Bridge (road width 21.4 m, total length 2,070 m, completed in Dec.1987) is parallel to the Han River
and also part of the Olympic Dea-ro (from Hangang Railway Bridge to the Dognjak Bridge), and was constructed
separately from the revetment of the Han River (Figure 5).
The Dongjak Bridge (road width 28.6m, railway width 11.4m, total length 1,330m, completed in Dec.1984) is the
first bridge on the Han River to combine roadway with railway, and connects Ichon-dong (north bank of the Han
River,) to Dongjak-dong (south bank of the Han River) (‘dong’ means an administrative district in Korean.) This
made it possible to have quick access from Seoul Station to the Nambu Beltway (connecting at Sadang Station)
via Seoul Subway Line 4 (Figure 5).

The Dongho Bridge (road width 20.4m, subway width 11m, total length 1,220m, completed in Feb.1985) also
combines road with railway (Seoul Subway Line 3), and connects Oksu-dong (north bank of the Han River) to
Apgujeong-dong (south bank of the Han River). Dongho-ro (road width 28.6m, 8 lanes, constructed in Dec.1984)
runs from the north end of the Dongho Bridge to the Changchung Gymnasium. The section from the north end of
the Dongho Bridge to Yaksu-dong Roundabout at the south end of Changchung-ro was repaired, and two tunnels
- the Oksu Tunnel and the Dongho Tunnel- were constructed in this section. Another section from Yaksu-dong
Roundabout to the north of the Changchung Gymnasium was originally part of Changchung-ro, but it was
transferred to Dongho-ro. The Dongho Bridge and Dongho-ro connected Dosan-ro (south bank of the Han River)
to the Changchung Gymnasium and the Dongdaemun Stadium about 1 km to the north. This gave quick access
from the Jamsil District to competition venues around the old town (Figure 6).
The 18th International Planning History Society Conference - Yokohama, July 2018

Figure 7 Comparsion of the topographic map of 1981 and 1987 around the Olympic Bridge (right)

Figure 8 Change of the Seoul City Planning Road around the Jamsil District

Figure 9 The road network of Seoul Master Plan in 1980

The Olympic Bridge (road width 32m, total length 1,225m, completed in Jun. 1990, between the Jamsil Railway
Bridge and the Cheonho Bridge) was constructed in preparation for an increase in traffic volume in the southeast
part of Seoul, including the Jamsil District, and was named in commemoration of the Olympics. It connected Guui-
dong (north bank of the Han River) and Pungnap-dong (south bank of the Han River) and was linked to
Gwangnaru-ro at the north end and Gangdong Dae-ro (adjacent to the northeast side of the Olympic Park) at the
south end. It connects the old town at the city center to Seoul’s southeast part which was developed for the
Olympics Games (Figure 7). Especially the Jamsil District, bracketed by the Olympic Park and the Seoul Sports
Complex, was reclaimed in the 1970s, and developed as a subcenter after the Seoul Olympics8.
The 18th International Planning History Society Conference - Yokohama, July 2018

The Nambu Beltway was a part of the 4th ring road of Seoul, and connects the east and west part of Seoul in the
south. In 1970, it formed the south boundary of the Jamsil District and passed the north side of the National Sports
Complex site (later Olympic Park). Its route was altered in 1974. It curved at the southwest of the Jamsil District
and was laid along the south of the Jamsil District, and then divided the National Sports Complex site. Gimpo
Airport and the Olympic Park (including the Athletes Village) were directly connected by this road (Figure 8).

Positioning of Roads Related to the Olympic Games in the road network of Seoul Master Plan
The road network of the 1980 Seoul Master Plan was a basis for the Seoul City Planning Road in 1980s. It was
conceived as an integration of the previous two patterns - the ring-radial pattern of the 1966 Seoul Master Plan
and the grid pattern of the 1978 Seoul Master Plan - and characterized by a cross of hyperbola-shaped roads
consisting of 4th ,8th ,15th and 17th trunk roads9 (Figure 9). Of these, part of the 4th trunk road (from the south
bank of the Han River to the old town) was completed by the construction of the the Dongho Bridge and the
Donghvo-ro, and part of the 17th trunk road (the crossing of Han River) was completed by the construction of the
Olympic Bridge respectively. In other words, the roads which formed the frame of the road network of the 1980
Seoul Master Plan were completed with the construction of roads and bridges related to the Olympic Games around
the Han River crossing sections.

Conclusion
When the Olympic Games was held in 1988, the competition venues were compactly placed in the eastern part of
Seoul, as the existing sports facilities located in the west of the old town ceased to be used as competition venues.
Two sports complexes in the Jamsil District were used as planned at first, but the layout of the facilities in the
Olympic Park (former National Sports Complex) was changed : the main stadium and facilities for archery and
hockey were excluded, and a cross-country course for the modern pentathlon was included. Except for the
competition venues near the old town, almost all venues were located in the green area of the Seoul City Planning.
In particular, the two sports complexes were located in the newly designated green areas along the tributaries of
the Han River. After that, the green areas along the tributaries which flowed through the west part of Seoul, were
utilized for the new sports complexes. Furthermore, the highway was constructed along the Han River during its
revetment, and the bridges crossed the Han River connecting the trunk roads of the 1980 Seoul Master Plan. It can
be said that the Seoul City Planning Roads which were planned around the Han River, were constructed while
preparing the Olympic Games.

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Bo Causer who is an assistant professor of Kagoshima University, for English Language
editing.

Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor(s)
PARK Kwanghyun is an assistant professor in the department of architecture and architectural engineering at
Kagoshima University. He earned a doctorate at Nagoya University, doctoral topic was about the transformation
of Seoul in 1960-80s, titled ‘A Study on the Urban Transformation of Seoul triggered by Seoul Olympics’. He is
exploring the Seoul’s reconstruction focusing on the Han River Development after the Korean War.

Endnotes
1 Kyunghun Kim, The History of Seoul Olympic Game XXIVth (Seoul:Hasanmunhwasa, 2000), 5.
2 B. Bridges, ‘The Seoul Olympics: Economic Miracle Meets the World’, in J. A. Mangan and M. Dyreson (eds.), Olympic Legacies: Intended
and Unintended—Political, Cultural, Economic and Educational (Routledge, 2010). 56-69 ; Hyunkook Shin and Dosik Kim, ‘A Study of the
Characteristis of the Architectural Spaces in Olympic Weight Lifting Stadium by Kimm Jongsoung’, Journal of the Architectural Institute of
Korea 28 (9) (2012) :147-154.

3 Jungmok Son, 서울도시계획이야기-5 [The story of Seoul City Planning-5] ( Seoul:Hanulbooks, 2003), 13.
 The 18th International Planning History Society Conference - Yokohama, July 2018

4 President Chun Doo Hwan expressed the view that the country should go ahead with the plan to obtain Olympic hostship, reasoning that
what was officially announced with approval from the former President should not be changed without strong reason. He said, "We cannot
back down from a historic project in the sentiment of defeatism without even making a try." (Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee, Seoul
Olympic Games Official Report (Seoul:Goryo,1990), 34.)
5 Ibid. 36.
6 Kwang-hyun Park, ‘On the Change of Green Area in the Zoning of Seoul City Planning’, Journal of Architecture and Planning (Transactions
of AIJ) 80 (713) (2015), 1691.
7 Ibid. 1692.

8 Jungmok Son, 서울도시계획이야기-3 [The story of Seoul City Planning-3] ( Seoul:Hanulbooks, 2003), 175-255.

9 Kwang-hyun Park, ‘On the Road Networks of Seoul Master Plans in The 1960-80s’, Journal of Architecture and Planning (Transactions of
AIJ) 78 (693) (2013):2430-31.

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Image sources
Table1: Kwanghyun Park, based on sources from Mairie Metropolitaine De Seoul, Reponses Aux Questionnaires
Pour Les Jeux De La XXIV Olympiade (1981), 올림픽 [Olympic Planning Department] 올림픽
[Olympic Sourcebook] (1984), Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee, Official Report – Organization and
Planning Volume1 (1988).
Figure 1: Kwanghyun Park, based on sources from Mairie Metropolitaine De Seoul, Reponses Aux Questionnaires
Pour Les Jeux De La XXIV Olympiade (1981), Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee, Official Guide and Souvenir
Program to the XXIVth Olympiad (1988).
The 18th International Planning History Society Conference - Yokohama, July 2018

Figure 2: Kwanghyun Park, based on sources from On the Change of Green Area in the Zoning of Seoul City
Planning, Journal of Architecture and Planning (Transactions of AIJ), 80 (713) (2015) ,1692.

Figure 3: Kwanghyun Park, based on digital files by National Geographic Information Institute,
https://sd.ngii.go.kr (Accessed April 10, 2015.)
Figure 4: Kwanghyun Park, based on sources from Seoul Metropolitan Government, The Han River,
(Seoul:Samyoung Press, 1986), 70, 181.
Figure 5,6,7,8 MAP : Kwanghyun Park, based on digital files from National Geographic Information Institute,
https://sd.ngii.go.kr (Accessed April 10, 2015.)
Figure 5,6 PHOTO : Seoul Metropolitan Government, Bridges in Seoul (Seoul:Samsungbunka, 1988), 107,108.

Figure 7 PHOTO : Seoul Metropolitan Government, 사진으로 보는 서울 6 : 세계로 뻗어가는 서울 1981-

1990 [Seoul with the Photographs] (Seoul:Banghyoengsik design, 2010), 410.
Figure 9: Kwanghyun Park, On the Road Networks of Seoul Master Plans in The 1960-80s, Journal of Architecture
and Planning (Transactions of AIJ), (78) (693) (2013), 2430.